Mask



H. H. POHLMANN.

MASK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-16 1920.

1,387,307. Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET WITNBS! H. H. POHLMANN. MASK. APPLICATION FlgED NOV 16I920.

1,3 7,307, Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNBS! ATTORNEY HERMAN H. POHLMANN, OF SI. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MAsK.

Specification of I.etters Patent. Patented Aug.- 9, 1921.

Application filed November 16, 1920.. Serial N0. 424,468.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, HERMAN H. Poem- MANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis City and Stateof Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Masks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to base ball masks.

As is well known, the batter in a game of base ball is frequentlyinjured by a pitched ball and injuries thus inflicted have resultedfatal. As a consequence a ball player at the batters plate is at alltimes on the alert for pitched balls which are thrown toward him, eitherby an inadvertence on the part of the pitcher or a deliberate attempt tohit the batter. Such latter attempts have been known to intimidate ballplayers of wellknown efficiency with respect to batting, so that hisservices in this respect are either temporarily or permanently affected.The uniform of the player protects his person, but hishead and face areexposed, and a ball contacting with either his face or head inflictsmore serious injury than that delivered against his body. It is theobject of the present invention to produce a mask for base ball playerswhen at the plate in batting position so constructed and arranged thatthe same may be positioned to protect the side of his head and facenearest the plate so that a ball delivered against the mask will bedeflected therefrom and no injury will be inflicted to the player, andas a consequence relieve the batter from fear of being struck in theface or on the head by a pitched ball and naturally increase hisefliciency in this particular part of the game. i

It is a further object to produce a mask for batters on base ball teamswhich includes a main frame and auxiliary frames spaced from each otherand arranged'around the upper and lower portions of the main frame, allof the frames being constructed of resilient wire, and the auxiliaryframes having paddings which contact with the cheek and with the head ofthe user, whereby the frames proper are spaced away from the person ofthe user, the auxiliary frames having means for securing the mask on theplayer, and the construction being such as to in no way impair thevision of the player.

It is a further object to produce a mask which may be successfullyarranged on either side of the players face or head and which may be ofan adjustable nature so that one mask can be used by an entire team ofbase ball players.

It is a further object to produce a side mask for the headand face ofbase ball players which shall be of a simple construction, which may becheaply manufactured; which shall be strong and durable, and which shallembody suflicient resiliency to deflect an object contacting therewithwithout permitting the said object or the mask inflicting injury to theuser of the mask.

The foregoing objects may be accomplished by a construction, combinationand operative assemblage of parts, such as is illustrated by thedrawings which accompany and which form part of this application.

In the drawings V Figure -1 is a'view illustrating the appli cation ofthe improvement.

Fig. Zis a front elevation of the improvement.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

.As disclosed by the drawings, my side mask includes a central bodyportion which is in the nature of a frame, and which will hereinafter bereferred to as the main frame, and other or auxiliary frames that havetheir confronting edges spaced from each other and which surround themain frame.

All of the frames are constructed of wire of a gage sufficiently strongto withstand a violent contact of an object therewith and incident tothe shape of the frames, deflect the said object away from the mask.

The main frame is broadly indicated by the numeral 1, and includes aninner elliptical member 2 provided with crossed right angularly arrangedbrace wires 3 respectively. The elements 2 and 3 are dished outward andare surrounded by an elliptical wire 4- connected to the element 2 andbraced by angularly disposed wires 5. By reference to the drawings, itwill be noted that the brace wires 5 are connected to the ellipticalelement 2 approximately centrally between the ends of the pairs ofcrossed wires 3. The brace wires 5 are also bowed or rounded outwardlyso that the main frame will be spaced a desired distance away from theface of the user of the mask.

From the outer elliptical member 4 of the main frame, adjacent to thetop thereof there are inwardly directed arched brace or connecting wires6 for the upper auxiliary frame which is broadly indicated by thenumeral 7. The brace wires 6 are oppositely directed from the mainframe, being arranged transversely thereof and form the lower elementsof the auxiliary frame 7. The wires 7 are connected to inwardly directedrounded wires 8, and the element 8 is braced to the main frame by a wire9. The outer wire 10 of the auxiliary frame 7 which, of course,surrounds the wire 8 is connected to the latter by any desired number ofinwardly rounded brace "wires 11. On the inner member 8 of the auxiliaryframe, adjacent to the ends thereof there are secured inwardly directedpads 12, one of these pads being designed for contacting engagement withthe side of the forehead of the user of the mask, either above orslightly forward of the temple, while the second pad 12, is

designed to be arranged in contacting engagement with the side of thehead of the wearer above the ear. Thus the auxiliary frame proper andthe main frame I are held from direct contact with the face or with thehead of the user. To the ends of the auxiliary frame there is connecteda flexible band 13 that is designed to be arranged around the head ofthe user.

The lower auxiliary frame is broadly indicated by the numeral 14, andcomprises an inner wire member 15 and an outer wire member 16 that isspaced from and surrounds the inner wire member. Both of these wiremembers 15 and 16 have their side portions arched at a curvaturecorresponding to the sides of the main frame 1 and are directedinwardly, but the lower portions of the said wires are rounded upwardlyfrom the ends of the center thereof toward the lower portion of the mainframe. The upper ends of the wires 15 and 16 are connected to the outermember or sides of the main frame, by brace wire 17, which are in a linewith but spaced away from the wires 6 that form the inner edge of theauxiliary frame 7. A brace wire 18, which is arched, connects the innerauxiliary frame member 15 to the lower edge of the main frame 1, whileany desired number of arched brace wires 19 are arranged betweentheinner and outer members of the lower auxiliary frame 15. ()n the innerface of the lower auxiliary frame there are inwardly directed spacedpads 20., designed to contact with the chin and rear portion of the neckof the user of the mask. Un one of'the sides of the outer element of thelower auxiliary frame 15 there is secured a strap 21 provided with abuckle 22. To

the opposite side of the lower auxiliary f ame there is secured a secondstrap 23 that is provided with apertures 2a to receive the tongue of thebuckle 22 and strap the mask on the face of the wearer.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, is

In a mask designed to be arranged on the side of the face and head of abatter of a base ball team, a main frame comprising inner and outerelliptical wires, right anguf lar braces for the inner wire, angularbraces between the inner and outer wires, upper and lower auxiliaryframes connected to the main frame and constructed of wires, the upperauxiliary frame having inner and outer arched wires, arched brace wiresconnecting lower portions arched toward the main frame, brace wiresconnecting the inner and,

outer braces of the lower auxiliary frame together and to the mainframe, and said brace wires being arched to direct the lower auxiliaryframe inwardlyof the main frame, inwardly projected pads on the lowerauxiliary frame, straps secured to the sides of the lower auxiliaryframe, and adjustable means for connecting the straps.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HERMAN n. POHLMANN.

